Inside MA Legal Online Gambling

History

Massachusetts first explored online poker expansion when they were working on their brick & mortar casino expansion bill back in 2010, but back then the state was considering prohibiting online poker. The prohibition of online poker never caught on during the casino debate and fell by the wayside. The issue was resurrected in 2012 and 2013 when State Treasurer Steve Grossman and State Senator Bruce Tarr started making the case for the legalization of online lottery and online gaming in the Bay State.

Despite several bills having been introduced, the state has shown only mild interest in the matter.

In fact, the crowning moment for Massachusetts wasn't the introduction of bill (although several have been introduced over the years), it was a day-long educational forum hosted by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in 2014.

2015 in review

With Grossman losing in the 2014 Gubernatorial primary and not seeking reelection as Treasurer, and the state still trying to iron out it's brick & mortar casinos, Massachusetts wasn't expected to make a huge push for online gaming in 2015. That changed when daily fantasy sports became the hot topic.

DFS regulatory talk began in late 2015 and may have opened the door for online gaming legalization talk to pick back up.

Even though online gaming legalization received only a cursory mention at the tail end of 2015, the stage is set for the state to give it a look in 2016, and just like that, suddenly Massachusetts is back in the running for online gaming.

2016 Outlook

DFS regulations are coming in Massachusetts, and once the regulatory framework is approved, Massachusetts can once again turn their attention to online gaming.

However, several impediments still stand in the state's way:

the state's brick & mortar casinos are still under construction;

One of those casinos is owned by Wynn Entertainment, and Steve Wynn has expressed his opposition to online gaming on several occasions;

Several key lawmakers are decidedly anti-online gambling, including Attorney General Maura Healey;

Massachusetts is historically very slow when it comes to legislating "vices."

A second, and far more optimistic possibility was put forth by the seemingly pro-online gaming Massachusetts Gaming Commission, when they suggested an omnibus approach that would include not only DFS, but online poker and online casino games.